Shusuke Returns to Find Ryoma Getting Beaten Up
Upon seeing Saeki Muneyoshi in front of the net, Atobe Keigo lost all interest in playing around. 🐯☹ 🎁♣
He certainly knew what Saeki Muneyoshi had disappeared to do.
Looking back on the second half of last school year, the period when his strength improved dramatically was precisely when he participated in expeditions and training camps.
Now that Saeki Muneyoshi has returned after leaving, his strength, if not completely transformed, has certainly improved.
He himself felt like he had been stuck in the same place, and now he was playing with a first-grader.
Thinking about this, Atobe also felt a sense of boredom.
"You get the serve, hurry up and serve, let's finish this quickly."
The referee was originally going to let the two sides coin toss, but before he could make any move, Atobe Keigo, who was standing on the left half of the court, spoke up first.
"The match begins, with Seigaku of Echizen Ryoma serving first."
As soon as the referee finished speaking, Echizen Ryoma picked up the tennis ball and went to the service line area in his own half of the court.
Snap... Snap...
Gently bouncing the tennis ball, Echizen Ryoma glanced at Atobe across from him before grabbing the ball.
Swish...
As Echizen initiated his movement, he immediately tossed the tennis ball high into the air, then bent his knees and jumped, leaping with both feet together – all the movements were very fluid.
"Drink..."
With a soft shout, Echizen Ryoma swung his racket down, his first serve being his most familiar Twist Serve.
Bang!
With a crisp ringing sound, the tennis ball, carrying a surging wave of air, sliced through the air and crashed down into Atobe the court.
"This kid has a pretty good foundation..."
Atobe's eyes flashed, and he was a little surprised. He didn't expect Qingxue, a guy who often loses and is a bit of a stinker, to be pretty good.💜😲 . cᵒpaw 🍧😎
But that's about it; after all, he's just a first-grader.
Tap tap...
Normally, Atobe might have been in the mood to play with Ryoma, but he couldn't now, since Saeki Muneyoshi was back.
If he saw that he was actually fighting on equal terms with a first-year student, wouldn't he be demeaning himself by three levels?
Atobe unleashed his full power, his eyes flashing blue light, and ice pillars filled Ryoma's half of the field.
With a quick sidestep, Atobe caught up with the tennis ball as it bounced off the ground in just a few steps.
Step forward and swing!
Bang!
The moment the net makes contact with the tennis ball, the ball transforms into a golden afterimage and returns.
Echizen Ryoma, on the other side, was about to use small, quick steps to move, but he seemed frozen in place, watching helplessly as the tennis ball flew past his racket.
"15-0, Hyotei Academy Atobe Keigo scores."
As the referee announced the score, Echizen Ryoma turned his head with a stiff expression.
Looking at the rolling orange tennis ball behind him, he stared at Atobe with a hint of shock in his eyes. "That arrogant guy, he's actually this strong?!"
A true expert's skill is immediately apparent.
Atobe Keigo's return of serve immediately reminded Echizen Ryoma of the scene where he was dominated by Tezuka.
Realizing that this was an opponent on the same level as Tezuka, Echizen Ryoma lost his arrogant demeanor and became serious.
The match continued, Echizen Ryoma served again.
Bang...
"30-0, Hyotei Academy Atobe Keigo scores."
Bang...
"Game score: 1-0, Hyotei Academy Atobe Keigo leads."
Four direct points from returns of serve Atobe to easily break serve. 69Sᕼᑘ᙭.ᑢᓍᘻ
The Hyotei Academy fans outside the court never stopped smiling from the start of the match, and Atobe's shouts were deafening.
Seeing Atobe break serve and take the lead after receiving the serve, Shishido Ryo couldn't help but tease him:
"I'm afraid this Echizen Ryoma is being too well protected by Seigaku; he actually dares to be arrogant in front of Atobe."
"This kid is definitely not as simple as he seems."
Compared to Shishido Ryo's superficiality, Atobe's insight was far superior. He rested his fingers on the bridge of his nose, looked at Echizen Ryoma on the field, and smiled:
"This kid's been observing my return trajectory the whole time. Looks like you're quite confident in your dynamic vision..."
Atobe was far more interested in athletes with astonishing dynamic vision than in others.
While Atobe only observed Echizen Ryoma's strength and amazing talent, Muneyoshi in the stands saw an incredibly solid foundation in Echizen.
In particular, as the game progressed, his footwork was constantly adapting to the intensity of his opponents.
Perhaps this is Echizen Ryoma's innate talent?
Those with innate talent can continuously unleash their potential by fighting against strong opponents...
Even so, there is absolutely no way that Echizen Ryoma can defeat Atobe now.
Seeing that Muneyoshi's gaze was fixed on Echizen Ryoma, Tachibana An asked curiously, "You big liar, do you really think highly of this kid from Seigaku?"
Upon hearing Echizen, Muneyoshi glanced at Echizen on the field and said in an extremely calm tone, "This kid has talent, but he's still far from it."
"This guy, I'll defeat you first, then challenge you so-called national school experts once again!"
Seeing Atobe's disdain for him, Echizen Ryoma thought to himself.
Then he saw Atobe toss the tennis ball high in the air, then push off the ground with his feet and leap slightly.
Atobe didn't use any fancy serves; instead, he simply raised his right arm, aimed at the tennis ball, and swung it down hard.
Bang...
The racket struck the tennis ball hard, producing a loud and powerful sound.
The serve, like a smash, tore through the air like a cannonball and slammed into Echizen Ryoma, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"0:15, Hyotei Academy Atobe Keigo scores."
As Atobe abandoned his playful attitude towards the game, he gradually began to exert himself on the court, and the match quickly became one-sided...
Bang...
"Game score: 2-0, Hyotei Academy Atobe Keigo leads."
Bang!
"Game score: 5-0, Hyotei Academy Atobe Keigo leads."
Bang!
"0:40, Hyotei Academy Atobe Keigo's match point."
In just fifteen minutes, Echizen Ryoma fell behind by five games, and the match reached its final point.
"The gap between the two is too big. Echizen needs more training if he wants to compete with Atobe."
On the sidelines, Fuji Shusuke looked at Echizen Ryoma and shook his head slightly.
On the field...
Echizen Ryoma rested his hands on his knees, panting heavily.
Sweat streamed down his face, and his Seigaku Regular uniform was already soaked through.
In this match, he had given it his all, even using Dual Wielding to reduce his energy expenditure and hitting ball b to make Atobe run around.
However...
Bang!
Watching the tennis ball fly over the net, Atobe's smile vanished, and his expression became extremely serious. He spoke in a slightly solemn tone:
"Kid, seeing as you're showing some fighting spirit, I'll let you witness my amazing skills on this last ball... but don't get too carried away..."
"The Ice World... descend!"
Atobe spread his legs wide, aimed his racket at the bouncing tennis ball, and swung it fiercely.
Thud...
A sound like an icicle shattering and a blizzard raging rang in Echizen Ryoma's ears.
The tennis ball shattered the icicle in front of him, unleashing a torrent of snow and ice that chilled even Ryoma's skin...
Whew...
A gentle breeze blew, dispersing the dust on the field. Echizen Ryoma, disheveled, knelt on one knee.
"The match is over. Hyotei Academy's Atobe Keigo wins with a score of 6-0."
"Let's go, we should head back. Our next opponent is Hyotei Academy!"
Muneyoshi's gaze swept across Seigaku's playing field. Tezuka was still absent from this match...
Muneyoshi had just heard from Tachibana Kippei that Tezuka hadn't played in any of Seigaku's matches yet.
In today's match, even Fuji didn't make a move.
Thinking of this, Saeki Muneyoshi smiled:
" With Tezuka and Fuji not making a move, it seems Seigaku isn't as safe as they thought. We need to learn from this experience in the next match and avoid repeating Seigaku's mistakes."
Amidst laughter and chatter, the group from Fudomine left Shikinomori Sports Park.
As for Seigaku's defeat, they will definitely fight their way back from the Loser's Bracket.
Neither Muneyoshi nor anyone else from Fudomine had any doubt about this.
P. S.: "Please vote with monthly tickets!"
Next, I'm going to describe the content that everyone has been eagerly anticipating. Monday was a bit busy; I worked overtime for a little while and wrote two chapters when I got back.